Houlahan’s Former Company Linked to Sweatshops in Report

A 13-year-old report Institute for Global Labour and Human Rights links Congressional candidate Chrissy Houlahan’s former company AND1 to sweatshops in China.

The report, first detailed by City & State, pointed to financial ties between AND1 and factories owned by the Taiwan-based Pou Chen Group. The report says that forced overtime, subsistence wages and repressive management tactics were part of the routine practice at their plants, including the ones used by AND1.

From City & State:

But, according to interviews with former laborers, 75- to 100-hour workweeks were the norm, with employees earning just 35 cents an hour. The report notes that plant workers lived in “primitive” dormitories and were fed food that resembled “pig slop.” During working hours, employees were prohibited from talking on the factory floor and had to perform mandatory daily calisthenics routines while shouting company slogans.

While the report largely focuses on athletic apparel giant Puma’s links to Chinese sweatshops, one section states that conditions at AND1’s Pou Chen plant were “extremely similar if not exactly the same” to those documented at the Puma plant. A previous report on another Pou Chen facility, issued in the year 2000, included similar findings.

Houlahan responded saying that AND1 “worked very aggressively to have a very rigorous code of conduct for our manufacturers” and they “conducted very rigorous audits of all of our factories” according to City & State.

The National Republican Congressional Committee took issue with the report though.

“Chrissy Houlahan lined her pockets while her company exploited and abused Chinese laborers. Her history of personally profiting from sweatshop labor should alarm Pennsylvanians of all backgrounds and political affiliations,”NRCC spokesman Chris Martin said.

Incumbent Congressman Ryan Costello (R-Chester) did not comment on the report, but Houlahan went on the offensive against him.

“If my opponent is asking me about these things – about a company that was based in his district and employed many of his constituents – I would be frustrated a little bit. You know, one of the things that differentiates me from my opponent is that I actually know how to grow a business,” Houlahan said.

31 thoughts on “Houlahan’s Former Company Linked to Sweatshops in Report”

Better Chrissy with her failings and left wing views- than a political pimp like Ryan Costello. Costello is a phony who undercuts Trump; pimps for Boehner and Paul Ryan- and supports tax fraud for the rich. Even Fitzpatrick voted No. PA will be a better place with jerks like Dent and the three stooges- Meehan, Fitzpatrick and Costello sitting on beAch chairs with Chris Christie. Costello is a fraud-

LOL no, Houlahan is ACTUALLY a fraud. Costello is a good dude, a family man and a regular guy who tries to make the best decisions for a very politically mixed district. He makes independent choices that benefit everyone. He has only been a rep since like 2015, so idk how you consider him a “pimp” for Boehner, whatever the hell that means lol. Now back to the story, Chrissy Houlahan working 16 year old chinese girls for 18 hours straight, forcing them to do jumping jacks and scream company slogans (aka the shining sweatshop on the Communist hill). Then, when they finally get off work they get to dig into a real treat: “Pig Slop!”.

I thought the Republican Party like sweatshops. They seem to promote them here and abroad with Donald Trump, Walmart, Mike Turzai, Saryl Metcalfe and other’s fighting so hard to take away the rights of working people with so-called “right to work” and other slimey legislation and practices.

This is really the best you’ve got? “Republicans do it too!”? You understand by doing that you’re admitting that Houlahan did something wrong, and not only that, you’re saying she is as bad as Trump lol. Lets face facts, this woman used slave labor to make a profit. She exploited workers in China, now she wants to lie to and exploit the voters of PA-6 and con them into voting for her. She is unfit for office.

13 years ago? Got nothing newer?we have Trump clouding last year, and in march of this year What do we have trump on 13 years ago? Money Laundering! far worse for america than slave labor! the republicans capitalist plan includes offering wages to americans that compete with slave labor!

It don’t matter in PA –they voted for trump– and all of his families product lines are produced in low wage third world sweat shops –didn’t seem to faze the dotard trumpuppets in Pa– so her chances at good

Yo douche bag. You’re obviously an idiot, probably voted for Hilary (great choice lol). We aren’t talking about Trump, I know that’s all you scumbags know how to do, but we are talking about Houlahan, a Congressional candidate who ran sweatshops in china and fed her workers “pig slop”. I know you democrats can’t stand to admit you’re wrong (I mean you ran Hilary Clinton for president..) but this lady has done much worse than anyone you’re looking for in your two-bit witch hunt.

You bring up a good point. It is early. If they’re willing to part with this slave labor hit now, imagine what else they have. It’s not even the primary! This seems like the first thread the breaks from the stitching of a garment. It will alllllllll unravel from here.

Boy, it’d be pretty dumb to shoot their best bullets now though, wouldn’t they? Maybe they’re dumb though. Maybe Costello will be too nice a guy to run ads against her. I mean, hacked info came out about his last opponent that he didn’t even use. Guess we will see though, huh?

Anyone who knows manufacturing knows that the bulk of the jobs are in the plant actually making the product. The jobs that are created at a “company HQ” setting are highly paid people who are probably recruited from New York, California, etc. She may have created a dozen jobs in PA, but she created HUNDREDS in China.

Absolutely disgusting. Seriously. Not only did she send potential American jobs to China, but she then expoited underaged, underpaid workers. It literally says she fed them “PIG SLOP”. She should drop out of the race.

This is not a good look for Houlahan, but its laughable that the NRCC would take issue with this, considering they did not say anything about Trump or Ivanka Trump being linked to this kind of stuff in China. Pot, meet kettle. Shame on them all.

No, two wrongs do not make a right. Its wrong if Houlahan was part of this and its wrong if the Trumps are. Hence “shame on them all.” Ivanka is not running for Congress, true, but she speaks of the importance of American jobs regularly for the purpose of political persuasion for her father, so there has to be some accountability there, to practice what you preach. Definitely goes for Houlahan as well, if not moreso. Just sick of these people, on both sides, not being accountable for their actions and decisions.

Not to get to the merits of this, but since when does the Republican Party care about abusing Chinese workers? I thought I heard Trump mention something about how it’s so great FoxConn is expaning over here. You know, the company that installed nets around its buildings because too many workers were jumping out of windows to kill themselves.

No, I’m not. But I’m saying it’s laughable that the NRCC thinks they are the ones standing up for Chinese workers.

Their release should have said “We are afraid of this candidate, so we’re going to do whatever we can to rough her up. Never mind that our president’s ties are all made in China too.” And least that would be intellectually honest.

The report is also entirely focused on Puma. There is a sentence that says And1’s facility was similar, but all the pulled quotes meant to scare voters are about Puma specifically, not And1. A 54 page document mentions Puma 256 times and mentions And1 twice.

I’m not saying there aren’t sweatshops in China, and I’m not saying And1 didn’t use them. I’m just saying this is a political hit-job, so political hacks who only care about worker’s rights when they are trying to score points so should shut up.

Ryan Costello could *own* a sweatshop in China and the NRCC would still back him, is my point.

The report outlines a grusome and outrageous GROUP of sweatshops in China. When describing the Puma sweatshops, the report basically says that all of their factories are run identically. The facts are that AND1 used what equates to slave labor, netting their workings 19 cents a day and feeding them pig slop. There is no way around it.

To say that the argument is invalid because some other republicans may also use sweatshops does not mean that what AND1 and Houlahan as their COO, did.

As COO she has direct watch and management over manufacturing. Not only did she move hundreds of manufacturing jobs overseas, but she then abused those underage, underprivileged workers and fed them pig slop.

Until you’re willing to dine on pig slop, I suggest you keep your partisan opinion on sweatshops to yourself.